England: Rape and sexual assault cases under review following justice failures

All current rape and sexual assault cases in England and Wales are under review by the Crown Prosecution Service following a series of failures to disclose evidence, The Times reports.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, said that some cases alleging these crimes are likely to be stopped as a result of the review.

Ms Saunders said she was “taking steps to identify any individual cases of concern as a matter of urgency”.

She added: “All cases are subject to regular and ongoing scrutiny, but senior prosecutors across England and Wales are currently assessing all live rape and serious sexual assault cases to check they are satisfied that disclosure obligations have been met.”

Prosecutors are examining cases where a person has been charged but not yet tried.

The CPS refused to reveal how many cases are being reviewed. A spokesman told The Times: “This work is ongoing and we are not giving a running commentary.”

Speaking about the issue on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC, said: “The failings in these cases have not been because there wasn’t a police officer and there wasn’t a prosecutor, it’s because they didn’t appear to be applying the regime they are expected to apply in conducting disclosure properly.”